Ardbeg Ardcore

Review #080 Type: single malt scotch Proof: 46% Comments: NAS, spirit made using roasted black malt, cask types not disclosed Tasted after: first up Appearance (no score): Pale straw color. Swirling reveals a thin line sticking to the side of the glass, legs are slow to form. Nose: 14/20 Nutty, earthy, and something that reminds me of a log of rotting wood. I’m also smelling spent coffee grounds, vanilla, and just a hint of smoldering embers, more of a burnt/charred smell than smoke. Palate: 27/40 Ashes, bitter baking cocoa, spicy oak tannins, black pepper, salt, and coffee grounds. It’s very mild compared to other Ardbeg’s I’ve tried. Finish: 30/40 Medium finish. Starts off with smoke, then a hint of lemon citrus cuts through and it becomes mildly sweet. Milk and honey maybe? It doesn’t last long, fading quickly to salt and more smoke, albeit milder now. The ending taste left behind is of a dark chocolate covered espresso bean, and this may be my favorite part of this dram. With Water: A couple drops of water brings out some nice maltiness on the nose and palate. Total: 71/100 Final thoughts: Overall this bottle ended up being a disappointment. Rather than a “spiky ball” as advertised, I find it to be very mellow and subdued compared to other Ardbeg’s I’ve tried. When I grabbed the last bottle on the shelf, I was thinking about other single malts I’ve enjoyed that used roasted chocolate malt and assumed this might be similar. Now after doing a little homework I know better, these are very different animals which produce wildly different flavors. It’s a decent bottle, but so many other superior ones for a better price that I’d rather spend my money on. In my opinion, this is probably the biggest disappointment yet of the Ardbeg special releases to date. Price: $115 Would recommend: no Would buy: no Scoring Legend: 96-100: The perfect dram, absolutely exceptional, nectar of the gods, I will savor this bottle and make it last, 5 stars. 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky, 4.75 stars. 85-89: Very good to amazing, almost the complete product, 4.5 stars. 80-84: Quite good, very enjoyable to drink, but doesn’t wow me, 4.25 stars. 75-79: Good, enjoyable but ultimately flawed, unlikely to purchase again, 4 stars. 70-74: A solid dram, but wouldn't go out of my way to get it, 3.75 stars. 55-69: Drinkable, 3.5-2.75 stars. Below 55: Suitable for cooking or direct contribution to the kitchen sink drain, 2.5 stars or less.

The nose starts with lemon lime soda, black pepper and burnt rubber then dark chocolate covered espresso beans, vanilla extract and ocean brine followed by sour apple, mango and plantain chips that transitions to candied ginger and gauze bandages with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a thin mouthfeel starting with lemon lime soda, black pepper and burnt rubber before a mild spice that slowly fades to a spicy dark chocolate mocha, vanilla extract and ocean brine followed by charred pineapple, dehydrated mango and plantain chips that transitions to powdered ginger and gauze bandages with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with black pepper, espresso grounds, mango, sour apple, ocean brine and light ashy oak. Ardbeg labeled this Ardcore but for me this really comes off better labeled Ardbore as it's an enjoyable dram that balances notes of sour citrus, tropical fruits, earthy spices, ocean brine and mild peat but it's unfortunately rather mellow with thin flavors and suffers from a youthful astringency that finishes rather bitter with light citrus and ash. If this is what biting into a spiky ball tastes like then it's not an experience that I'm particularly fond of and at the price of $120 per bottle, I'd much rather buy a Wee Beastie that a side by side with Ardcore revealed that Wee Beastie is far better balanced along with richer and bolder flavors for less than half the price of Ardcore.

Sydney Whisky Show May 20th 2023. Whisky #29 Nose: Yeasty and fruity (citrus), acetone and ash, privet and salt water, menthol and ansie. It’s an oddly laid-back nose for an Ardbeg and it’s clearly very young with a beery aroma that reminded me of the smell of fermenting ale. Palate: Ashy smoke and pear drops on the arrival (very Ardbeg) with sweeter citrus notes, some vanilla and a spritzy quality as it develops. Chocolate, pepper and salt towards the finish and the texture is OK but not noteworthy. There is the same yeasty taste of wash as in the nose that screams “youth”. Finish: Medium/short. Smoke, yeasty beer, brine and a little sweet citrus in the aftertaste. A bit ho-hum overall and Ardcore is a misleading name as this is anything but a hardcore whisky and it in no way displays anything remotely “punk”. There are no faults here but it’s very young, subtle in some odd ways, and tastes more like the good first effort of a new distillery than something from a well-established producer of demonstratively peated whisky. I thought it was pleasant but not worth seeking out unless you are an Ardbeg completionist, particularly considering the price which is way too much IMHO. Like all experiments it has its place, but that place is not in my stash. Good to taste at a show, however. “Above Average” : 80/100 (3 stars)

My last whisky in Ardbeg's distillery was their newest expression, the Ardcore. This one honours punk rock music and attitude, and it has been distilled from Black Roasted Barley, which is a new experiment from Bill Lumdsen. Of course, as most Ardbeg Day expressions, this one has a Committee release as well, bit this review is for the normal one. Bottled at 46%abv. On the nose, it feels yeasty and spongy. Beer and Chocolate. Not much else, but nice. On the palate, it follows the same rythm, there is this Chocolate and Vanilla note that is mixed with some salty yeast. Aftertaste is the best part. A smoke explosion. Beer and yeasty. Salty. It feels like charcoal smoke and charcoal rocks. Nice. Overall, this is not the best Ardbeg out there. I thought my palate and nose were a little off, then i went online and i found a bit of backlash against this one. Even Ralfy is criticizing it. I don't think it is a bad dram, just a little simple, straightforward and not full of complex notes. My score for it is a dissapointing 83 over 100.

Well, it's definitely Ardbeg, it's got savory brine, plenty of peat, smoke, pepper, and smoked meat/smoked fish. But I also get dark chocolate, some dark fruit(in a high quality chocolate way, not a sherry way), coffee grounds, maybe even a hint of pear. I also get burnt bread in the finish, but not necessarily in a bad way. They really must have burnt some of their malt to a crisp. This is definitely different, while being very recognizably Ardbeg. I like this - it's a really interesting direction, and I think that there is more for Ardbeg to explore here. Here's hoping for a version 2.0 at some point down the line.

Oof. I had the full strength CR Ardcore at a bar and actually thought it was pretty solid, but (incorrectly) figured I wouldn't be able to find a bottle, so bought a 46% ABV version... and what a difference. Some of the chocolaty flavor notes are there, but the mouthfeel just completely ruins it. Watery as hell. Now I'm hesitant to try Heavy Vapours because I haven't seen the full strength version yet. I've never been more thrilled to have killed a bottle.